Dec 8, 2011

In celebration of surpassing the 10 Billion downloads in Android Market, Google is offering handpicked premium apps for 10 cents a piece! Yes, that's 4.33 pesos! Not sure though how much will my credit card charge for the transaction fee (I hope it's free).

This is my first time to buy Android apps, and the process is dead-simple. If you've already used your Google account to buy something, like in my case I bought this domain name mvergel.com using Google Apps, you don't have to enter your credit card details again. This is a very convenient / a bit scary thing if you ask me.

I bought 2 premium apps yesterday for 4.33 Pesos each: Autodesk SketchBook (an excellent drawing app) and Paper Camera (for fun). Today they're offering a new set of apps; a bit less interesting than yesterday's list but still I purchased one: Christmas HD live wallpaper, and it's good.

Wish I could've downloaded the Swiftkey Keyboard app yesteday, darn. If only I knew that they'll be replacing the offered apps everyday.

To see the excitingl list, just open the Market app and click tile where it says 90% Off. :Enjoy! :-)

Dec 6, 2011

First phone; I was in 2nd year high school when I got this one, rumored to cause explosions in gas stations and cause sterility due to strong signal but that didn't stop me from using it everyday.

Nokia 3650

No one can use this phone except me. Everyone who tried using it to send text messages when they're out of credits didn't make it and just gave up due to out-of-this-world keyboard design, which is good for me.

Nokia e70

My first "business" phone. It's weird how you flip this phone to use its QWERTY keyboard; sometimes I feel like it's transforming into another being. Made my text life easier and geekier. :))

Sony Ericsson (SE) P1i (Actual Pic)

My first SE phone, I didn't quite like the interface (UIQ) but loved the way you can type using your finger/nail. Enjoyed drawing using the stylus that comes with it. But this phone has serious usability problems: You won't know immediately if your message was sent successfully, and your reminders are hidden from sight which baffles me to this day.

OT: From this point on, you can also see the evolution of my hand :))

Nokia E71 (Actual Pic)

Has a premium build which oozes with class when it first came out. Loved the QWERTY keyboard, felt nice in my hands. Can't do much with it but what it can do it does pretty well.

SE XPeria Arc S (Actual Pic)
My current phone as of writing. First phone without a tactile keypad. So far so good, but I can't use the keyboard while driving; good thing there's voice recognition. It's incredibly fast to send and receive text messages (lol at this observation; shocked the first time to inquire my remaining balance). Watching movies on the go is a pleasure.
So why not iPhone 4S? So many reasons: price, weirdness level, customization, no dedicated camera button to name a few. I really want the iPhone for Instagram, hopefully creators will show some love for Android.

Dec 2, 2011

Looking for a phone with a good camera to capture those kodak moments when my SLR is not around. Hopefully, it will come with a dedicated camera button because my laziness is unbeatable when it comes to using my phone camera.

iPhone 4S is expensive: 32k PHP if bought from Singapore. Camera is better compared to Arc S but I don;t know if it can justify the 17K difference in price. Choice of apps is still better than Android and I can use this for development purpose... but but but, it's still way too expensive.

Xperia Arc S, which sells for 18k PHP, has a dedicated camera button which is a huge plus. But with the huge screen, the battery life is mediocre (up to 2 days with moderate usage). Also, this unit doesn't have a front-facing camera. I tried it at Megamall and was surprised with the thinness of the phone; even with the big screen size, it's still pocketable.

I love the form factor for XPeria Ray, but it doesn't have a dedicated camera button. It can be bought for 13K PHP. Not bad for a phone with the same specs as XPeria Arc (not Arc S) and has a good battery life.

The author is Manuel Vergel aka Manny. He's an experienced software developer in the Philippines. He's passionate about programming and sharing web development knowledge to the Filipino youth. He's into Java, Oracle, iOS (iPhone and iPad) development. Along with his blog in mvergel.com, he also authors Pesobility.com and is the co-creator of JuanSolution.com. (more)